Ephesians 6:14-15 NIV
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
When someone tells you to be strong, what comes to your mind? Apostle Paul was calling the disciples to be strong not in their might but in the power of God, Ephesians 6:1. Apostle Paul was helping his fellow Christian to know they are in a war because Satan will not stop, and he is full of schemes. His warning stands for everyone who says Jesus is Lord. We are in a war. And we must arm ourselves properly to fight this raging war.
The weakness of many Christians is our inability to see and embrace the spiritual battlefield. Satan and his army of demons are full of schemes and oftentimes makes us believe we have arrived and no longer strive to grow in the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness. When we get comfortable and brag about how long we have been walking with the Lord, it is a dangerous place to be. We sometimes even look down on young Christian’s faith because they seem too radical for us. Yes, we must grow out of milk into solid food as referenced in Hebrews 5:13. Yet! We must never lose our childlike heart to sit before the throne of God or our meekness to inherit the kingdom of God (Luke 18:16 and Mathew 5:5). Apostle Paul gave us the secret to fight against Satan's scheme. We must boast in the Lord and our weakness instead of our list of earthly glory or accomplishments (1 Corinthians 1:31; Galatians 6:14; & 2 Corinthians 2:9). If we lose the heart and zeal to learn the truth and righteousness, we are at risk of becoming conceited (Romans 12:3, Galatians 6:3, & Titus 3:3-8). Consequently, our feet are not grounded or fitted with readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. When we lose sight of Satan's schemes and allow the flesh to lead us, which often is grounded on our intellectual knowledge of the scriptures instead of the Holy Spirit, it draws us away from the truth (Galatians 5:16-34; 6:7-8). When we lose sight of the spiritual war that Satan wages against our soul, we can easily become stumbling blocks to others faith or lack of faith. We cause spiritual chaos instead of peace for people around us who are new in their faith, weak in their faith and/or who do not know the Lord. Jesus warns us of the consequences for those who become a hindrance to God’s elects (Matthew 18:6-9). Let us be on guard against the enemy's scheme and strive to sharpen our weapons daily through humility, grace, peace, and love. Let us stay sober in our heart to grow in our strategy to fight against Satan’s demons.
